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AIBU?

Unqualified NHS staff

184 replies

Jammydodgerr · 14/10/2022 09:39

How would you feel about the NHS using unqualified members of staff in a nursing role?

This is being floated at our local hospital, North West region, and it makes me feel really uncomfortable.

What are your opinions?

OP posts:
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MakeMineALarge1 · 14/10/2022 10:37

@Jammydodgerr there will already be non registered staff on wards doing many tasks, many HCA take bloods, do ECG, record observations? The issue is interpreting those results/obs. As a nurse I know what I can ride out for an hour and what needs acting on now.

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MakeMineALarge1 · 14/10/2022 10:38

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I am on a day off, is that ok?

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ImissyouBR1 · 14/10/2022 10:39

I think the student is lying to sound more heroic and capable than she actually is. Does she come across as someone who frequently craves attention and sympathy?

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DismantledKing · 14/10/2022 10:41

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Hmm, same grammatical mistakes as that other bitter poster? Smells like a sock.

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Cheeseandlobster · 14/10/2022 10:47

DismantledKing · 14/10/2022 10:41

Hmm, same grammatical mistakes as that other bitter poster? Smells like a sock.

Agreed. With the spelling of too as to. Oh dear

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GiggleWhale · 14/10/2022 10:48

To clarify, using students 6 months into their course to take their own patients on an ITU unit

I have never known a trust that would allow a single person to transfer to ITU.

I would have no issues with a student nurse being part of a transfer if there were others there.

I feel like someone may be inflating their importance (as all first years have a tendency to do).

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DismantledKing · 14/10/2022 10:49

Cheeseandlobster · 14/10/2022 10:47

Agreed. With the spelling of too as to. Oh dear

Yep. Freshly created username created just to sock puppet on a thread? Reported for that, obviously.

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GiggleWhale · 14/10/2022 10:53

NHS staff earn too much.

There are many, many examples of where NHS staff do earn too much, not all of them do - but there are several roles which have very inflated salaries for like-for-like roles in other organisations / sectors.

Look at all the band 7 non-clinical managers...

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SleeplessInEngland · 14/10/2022 10:54

Don't feed the troll, people.

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Homeschoolmummy · 14/10/2022 10:54

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BadNomad · 14/10/2022 10:55

Jammydodgerr · 14/10/2022 09:52

To clarify, using students 6 months into their course to take their own patients on an ITU unit. My friends daughter is in this predicament, unfair on them, nurses and patients.

What does this mean? As in do the stuff an HCA does? Because that's what most 1st years do. You don't need to be qualified for that, just trained and supervised.

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MakeMineALarge1 · 14/10/2022 10:55

GiggleWhale · 14/10/2022 10:53

NHS staff earn too much.

There are many, many examples of where NHS staff do earn too much, not all of them do - but there are several roles which have very inflated salaries for like-for-like roles in other organisations / sectors.

Look at all the band 7 non-clinical managers...

I agree there are far too many non clinical roles at B7+ my friend works in a well being department, its made up of a B8 and 4 b7, all of whom are employed to ensure staff well being is upheld! I can't help but think that if that money was spent on the wards themselves and actually addressing real issues in nursing, that well being would improve!

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Xenoobitch · 14/10/2022 10:56

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ImissyouBR1 · 14/10/2022 10:57

Wtf happened to this thread? 😂

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Port1aCastis · 14/10/2022 10:59

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Replace qualified nurses with who,??

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WatchoRullo · 14/10/2022 10:59

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LynneBenfield · 14/10/2022 11:04

Can I point out that Nursing Associates, to those using them as examples, are qualified, registered members of staff. They are not HCA equivalents. They are not ‘full’ registered nurses but they do receive academic and ‘on the job’ training for 2 yrs before entering the workforce.

I’m not a big fan of the role (I think it gives NHS trusts an excuse to fill band 5 RN roles with under qualified staff) but they ARE qualified HCP staff.

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Mrsherdwick · 14/10/2022 11:10

There just aren’t any nurses. I retired in 2019. When covid hit I came out of retirement and went on the nursing temp register. After a stint in a Nightingale Hospital and a longer stint in a vaccination centre I retired again.
The temporary register was only supposed to be until 30th September 2022. We had a few emails from the NMC reminding us of that.
Five days before 30th September the government changed its mind and the temporary register will go on for another 2 years. But people (and nurse managers) and made plans re staffing for when they lost their registration.
Honestly you couldn’t make this up!!!
Sorry for the long post.

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TheLoupGarou · 14/10/2022 11:12

Student nurses are supernumerary, but have a responsibility to carry out tasks within their own level of competence and confidence. It's important that they raise concerns with practice supervisors, clinical managers and then with uni if they aren't being listened to. Nowhere would allow a single person to transfer an itu patient, so I don't think your third hand information is correct.

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CrushingAndClueless · 14/10/2022 11:12

We use band 4 staff on our ward and they can do absolutely everything that a qualified nurse can except give medications.

They admit and discharge their own patients, provide any medical care that a patient needs and do all the patient’s documentation. They do not have to be overseen by a nurse and they will have their own patients.

I think it really pisses them off to be fair because their actual job is no different than a qualified nurses job and they have to do it for a lot less money.

I know a few of them also feel very vulnerable by the fact they have their own patients and are responsible for those patients with no nurses over seeing them.

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GiggleWhale · 14/10/2022 11:14

I think the main point of this thread is that a single person ITU transfer just is not something that would happen.

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TheLoupGarou · 14/10/2022 11:14

@CrushingAndClueless I think in that situation the band 5 nurses have overall accountability. They would be responsible for anything that went wrong.....

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Topgub · 14/10/2022 11:16

@GiggleWhale

I read it as the 1st year student nurse had their own pt to look after in ITU.

Which is just as unlikely tbf

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GiggleWhale · 14/10/2022 11:16

My friends daughter is in this predicament,

I'm also going to hazard a guess that this maybe someone who has started university, and found that they don't like it. Instead of being honest, they are coming up with some let down solutions for their family.

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GiggleWhale · 14/10/2022 11:18

@Topgub given that ITU nurses have to do supplementary training to work in ITU I would say that's also not something that is happening. I mean most patients are ventilated and that in itself requires a lot of training.

Most units won't even take newly qualified nurses straight from training programmes.

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